Shadows of What Might Have been
by goldengreaser
Summary: Minato was too late to save his wife and son from the masked man known as Tobi.


Disclaimer- I Do Not Own _Naruto_

The child in his arms was dead, skin pale and cooling. His tiny blue eyes gazed hazily into the nothingness of the world around him. His chubby little cheeks were not pink and rosy. His little arms and legs that should have been wiggling freely, his little head that should have been floppy as a child's rag doll, were stiff and lifeless.

Minato held the boy to his chest and gently wiped the blood from the kunai wound at his side. He looked to his wife, as lifeless as his son. A sacrifice to keep the bijuu away, if only for a little while. He wondered if that were not all. He could not begrudge her, the wish to be with her son and knew that this had something to do with her demise. The sealing has just been a means to an end. After all, what mother could ever want to outlive their child?

Hot tears fell down his face as he edged ever closer to where Kushina lay, her red hair flying out dangerously and her face caked in equally crimson blood. Kneeling down beside her, he lay their son on her chest and wrapped her lifeless arms around him, a cruel artist rendering of a mother's love.

Minato buried his face in her neck. Shinobi rule number twenty-five, a shinobi never cries, but, he thought with an exasperated sigh, a man does. He was hokage. He could protect his village, his nation but he had not been strong enough to save his wife, nor quick enough to save his son. The thought was laughable, the Yellow Flash, the man's whose very name inspired fear, was not fast enough to save his family, just as he had not been fast enough to save Obito, to save Rin.

He twisted his fingers around Kushina's hair. Oh, how he had loved that beautiful, beautiful hair. Just as he had loved his wife, a woman as fiery as her nickname. She had been able to strike fear in him, make him laugh. Now the very thought of her served to make him cry.

He curled a lock of Kushina's red hair around his fists and kissed the strands falling against his knuckles. He had loved Kushina from the moment he saw her, that day at the academy. He loved her loud mouth that always seemed to activate before her brain. He loved the way she was not afraid to bonk him on the head when she was angry. He loved her cooking. He licked his lips. "You made me who I am, you made me hokage. "You made me a father, if only for a moment. I will miss you.

Minato looked back to his son. He had been looking forward to being a father, to watching his son grow into a strong and brave shinobi, into a upright and good man. He had looked forward to late night meals of ramen and of the pitter patter of little feet. He had been looking forward to a tiny voice calling him "Otousan". He had looked forward in vain.

"I am sorry my son." He leaned over and kissed his forehead, and reached over to gently close the boy's eyes, beautiful eyes that had seen far too little of the world. "Keep your Okasan company and watch over your poor Otousan. "

A hokage must be strong. He must never show his weakness. So when, the village in morning held service for those that died that day, he did no show his tears, did not let on his sadness. He simply smiled warmly and spoke words of hope and comfort to his people. He did not speak of loss of his dear wife and certainly not of the little boy who would never see the light of day. That was his burden to bear.

Sasuke held his brother's hand as they walked to the statue, a faceless mother and her child. He looked up at it in awe. Slowly Itachi let go and placed a single white carnation at the statue's base. "It's your turn otouto." He said solemnly.

Sasuke looked at the base, where so many carnations already lay. He bent over and lay the flower down with care. He looked to his brother. "Niisan, why do we bring flowers here every year?"

Itachi looked solemnly at the sky. He closed his for a moment and then opened them to look at his brother. "To show our thanks."

"Our thanks?"

Itachi nodded. "Our thanks to be alive, and our mourning for the children who could not be. This memorial was built for the child and mother who died during the Kyuubi attack seven years ago. He was the only child to be killed. We come and celebrate our lives and to respect his death."

Sasuke frowned. The only person he had known to die had been his grandfather. It never occurred to him that a child might die as well, how sad. Itachi motioned his brother forth and Sasuke came sauntering over. Itachi poked him in the forehead. "Be happy Sasuke. You are alive." But Sasuke could not help but feel a great sorrow when he looked at the memorial as if the loss were his own.

He grabbed a hold of his brother's hand and they started to leave. As they were about to exit the gate of the garden that held the child's memorial they ran into a white robed man. Sasuke's eyes traveled upward. It was the hokage.

Sasuke, like the other children of the village was rather fond of the Yondaime. He was always gentle with his reprehends and kept Pokey and Rice candy on hand, remembering Sasuke hated sweets, he always carried chili powder drops for him. He often came out to the training fields during practice at the academy and helped them work on their taijutsu. He smiled often enough, but it never reached his eyes.

"Hokage-sama." Itachi bowed and nudged his brother to do the same.

Minato smiled sadly. "Hello boys, thank you for your kindness."

"You're welcome hokage-sama, we will leave you alone now." Itachi pulled his brother along.

As the exited Sasuke pulled at Itachi's black yukata. "Niisan, why is the hokage always so sad?"

Itachi bowed his head. "Because Sasuke, the child that died during the Kyuubi attack was hokage-sama's son."

"Oh." Sasuke looked back towards the gate. The hokage was bowed at the memorial and he was not moving a muscle. Sasuke blinked. If he looked hard enough he could almost see a red haired woman and a little blond boy behind him, but when Sasuke looked again, they were gone.


End file.
